A History of the World in 100 Objects

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

AHOTW100_ShowCover_3000x3000px

Factual: History

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells humanity's history through objects

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity's history through the objects we have made.

BBC Radio 4 FM

A History of the World in 100 Objects: Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC): Swimming Reindeer

Swimming Reindeer

Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC), Swimming ReindeerSearch BBC

Neil MacGregor investigates how humanity's development is reflected in the things it makes

Neil MacGregor continues his new series retelling humanity's history through the objects it's made. Today that object is also one of the earliest works of art.

The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells the history of human development from the first stone axe to the credit card using 100 selected objects from the Museum.  Today Neil has chosen an object found in France, dating back 13,000 years.  It is a carving of two swimming reindeer and it's not just the likeness that is striking.  The creator of this carving was one of the first humans to express their world through art.  But why did they do it?  

Neil MacGregor tells the story of the Swimming Reindeer, and its place in the history of art and religion with contributions from the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and archaelogist Professor Steven Mithen.

Producer: Anthony Denselow

A History of the World in 100 Objects: Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC)

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Neil MacGregor reveals the earliest objects that define us as humans.

Neil MacGregor tells the story of two million years of our development through a hundred objects in the British Museum. We begin with the first that make us human

Accessibility links

Programme Index

A History of the World in 100 Objects

Making Us Human (2,000,000 - 9000 BC)

Swimming Reindeer

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4